Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who earned the distinction of being the world’s longest-serving Prime Minister, met with a sad end to her long political career. She was unceremoniously forced to quit as Prime Minister and flee her country to save her life.
Bangladesh Army Chief Waqar-uz-Zaman gave Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina 45 minutes to leave the country. Sheikh Hasina took a flight and landed in Hindon Airport in Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, which is on the outskirts of New Delhi. In a state of shock, Sheikh Hasina is in no position to think about, or to chalk out her future plans.
This is not for the first time that Sheikh Hasina is in asylum in India. In 1975, when her father and Bangladesh founding-father Banga-Bandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rehman was brutally assassinated and his family was wiped out, Sheikh Hasina and her sister escaped, as they were in Germany at that time. From 1975 to 1981, Sheikh Hasina took asylum in India. This is the second time that Sheikh Hasina is again in India from August 5, 2024, in asylum in similar tragic circumstances.
Dictatorships in Neighborhood
Independence dawned almost at the same time, both in India and Pakistan, in 1947. Over the years, India has gained deep roots of democracy, even as Pakistan, and eventually with the birth of Bangladesh in 1971, saw neighbours in the Indian Sub-Continent sink into Military Dictatorships.
Pakistan faced a string of Military Dictatorships from General Ayub Khan, to Yahya Khan, General Zia-ul-Haq to General Pervez Mosharraf. The Army continues to call the shots in Pakistan.
Tragically, Bangladesh, born out of a freedom struggle in 1971, saw a sudden and serious setback, when democracy derailed, slipping into Military Dictatorship.
Thanks to the painstaking efforts of the Indian leadership that emerged from the freedom struggle in 1947, it nurtured and ensured the survival of democracy in India.
Nearly 30 Coups
In less than four years of Bangladesh attaining Independence from Pakistan in 1971, Bangladesh suffered its first of the now long series of coups.
In 1975, Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad came to power after the assassination of Banga-Bandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rehman. Later, Brigadier Khaled Mosharraf organized a coup to remove Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad from power. Hussein Mohammad Ershad stormed to power in a coup. He was followed by Zia-ur-Rahman.
On August 15, 2024, Bangladesh steps into the 50th year of the assassination of Banga-Bandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rehman. In all these years, nearly 30 coups have taken place in Bangladesh. The latest coup is that of Bangladesh Army Chief Waqar-uz-Zaman, who is holding talks with political parties like Bangladesh National Party (BNP), Jatiya Party and Jamaat-e-Islami, among others, with a view to form the Interim Government, headed by Nobel-Laureate Mohammad Yunus, known for his work on microfinance for economic empowerment.
Sheikh Hasina’s arch-foe, BNP leader Begum Khaleda Zia, undergoing 17-year jail-term, was set free. With Bangladesh Army continuing to play a key role, there appears to be little or no scope for democracy to take roots and shape up in the country.
Quota Controversy
At the root of the present-day political controversy in Bangladesh is the quota created by Bangladesh founding-father Sheikh Mujibur Rehman in 1972. Mujib resolved to create a quota for Bangladesh freedom-fighters, Mukti Yodhas. Mujib also carved out a quota for Bangladeshi women, who were tortured by the Pakistani military. Mujib’s assurance was that the new nation would do justice to those who sacrificed their lives and suffered for the cause of freedom, while facing the Pakistani military.
Seeds of the present-day quota crisis lies in the anti-quota movement of 2018. On March 8, 2018, the Bangladesh High Court rejected a petition challenging the legality of the quota system in the nation, existing since the 1972.
Against this backdrop, Sheikh Hasina declared that she would maintain the quota for the descendants of the veterans of the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. This is a highly emotional matter for Sheikh Hasina to take forward her father’s legacy. But her decision sparked a major agitation by the students.
Quotas in the Bangladesh Civil Service was ended through an executive order. Students sought a reform of the quota system but not its abolition. But, Sheikh Hasina’s move seemed to indicate that if freedom-fighters were not to get any quota, no one else would either. During the ongoing discussions for the next two years, Sheikh Hasina remained firm on her decision. In 2020, the executive order became operational.
Students’ protest was about the unfairness of a system that values personal connections and family ties over merit and capability. The real problem with the quotas for freedom-fighters and their families is not the quotas, but the fact that they are widely seen as a mechanism for patronage.
An angry Sheikh Hasina called the protesting students Razakaars, a term denoting supporters of Pakistan during Bangladesh Liberation War. In protest, the students organised a massive march in response to Sheikh Hasina’s comments.
On her part, instead of addressing their grievances, Sheikh Hasina opted for a heavy-handed approach to suppress the uprising. She deployed the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of the Bangladesh Awami League and ensured they were supported by the police. This crackdown led to at least six deaths on July 15. In the following three days, over 200 people were killed and among them, 78 per cent were estimated to be students and civilians.
Despite the high death roll, Sheikh Hasina shifted focus on to the economic damage caused by the protesters and accused the Opposition parties of manipulating the protests for political gain.
Sheikh Hasina did not visit the grieving families, instead she started inspection of damaged properties. This only intensified public anger, with public criticism of her lack of empathy.
Initially, the student protesters had been advocating for quota reform and a list of other demands. In the end, students focused on apology from Sheikh Hasina and her resignation.
The emergence of the Sovereign, Secular, Democratic Bangladesh under Sheikh Mujibur Rehman in 1971 was seen in India as a rejection of the Two-Nation Theory that brought about untold harm and hardship since the Direct Action Day Call of Muslim League leader Mohammad Ali Jinnah, which triggered Partition Horrors.
But the celebrations were short-lived, as Bangladesh has gone down the Pakistan way. Sheikh Hasina did succeed in reversing the trend. But the turn of events in Bangladesh have been disappointing for India, as she could not sustain her good work. The Army once again stepped in to guide the destiny of Bangladesh, just like in Pakistan.
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